Orthodox Paradoxes. Introduction

10.1163/9789004269552_002

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Chapter Summary

This introduction presents an overview of how the other chapters in the book are organized. The first section of the book reveals how Orthodox Tradition is sheltered against the discovery of the possibility for postmodern reality. The second section looks at contemporary heterogeneities and transformations of Tradition in some authoritative manifestations: the upsurge of fundamentalist and sectarian movements, and tensions in the contemporary reception of spiritual elders and in the canonization process of saints. The third section deals with the social role of Orthodoxy with an excursion to the balancing of credenda and agenda. The fourth section explicitly addresses theological issues of Orthodoxy. The fifth section discusses the question of hierarchy and the current role of women in Church hierarchy. The last section addresses some specific issues from the field of ecumenics.